YourSAY™ 2017.1 - Corporatization of the Veterinary Industry Brings Hope Despite Some Distrust

Canada’s Thought Leaders Ponder Veterinary Industry Corporatization

The YourSAY™ public opinion poll 2017.1 is reported.

This report summarizes the YourSAY™ survey Powered by Urban Animal Corporation™ (formerly PetLynx™) that fielded March 1st-8th, 2017.

This survey captured public opinion related to several articles InfoStream has published on vet clinic acquisitions:

Mars Petcare Acquires BluePearl Veterinary Hospitals 

VCA Antech Acquires Associate Veterinary Clinics

VCA to be Aquired by Mars Inc.

And explored the pros and cons in:

Pros and Cons: Corporatization of the Veterinary Industry.

The purpose of the YourSAY™ 2017.1 survey was to discover what thought leaders in the urban animal industry believe are the positive and negative aspects of the growing trend of animal healthcare delivery moving towards large corporations and away from the owner/managed independent clinician.

Thirty-five respondents participated in the YourSAY™ 2017.1 forum out of 450 recipients and featured a variety of respondents from various backgrounds within the animal healthcare industry and at different levels of management within the industry.

Highlights of YourSAY™ 2017.1:

• A strikingly similar number of participants viewed the trend toward large corporate entities and away from owner/managed independent clinics as either positive (37%) or negative (43%). The initial response to this topic is interesting considering the polarizing opinion in the questions that followed.
  
  
• When asked about the corporate influence of commercial interests, a staggering eighty percent (80%) expressed concern to some degree with regards to the effect on animal healthcare services, a smaller percentage expressed that they are not at all concerned (20%). 
  
  
• A clear majority of individuals (66%) view the rise of large corporate providers as inevitable due to the modern healthcare demands of specialised service needs in regards to equipment, human resources and sophisticated technology which are the domain of larger, and typically wealthier, clinics and hospitals. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of individuals believe that a rise in corporate providers in not guaranteed.
  
  
• Owner/Managed independent clinics are likely to be sought out sixty-three percent (63%) of the time, while local clinics backed by a large corporation are sought out with thirty-four percent (34%) likeness. 
  
  
• It is interesting to note that when asked what type of animal healthcare service providers do respondents actually use; fifty-four percent (54%) receive services from an owner/managed independent clinic, fourteen percent (14%) from a local clinic backed by a large corporation, and twenty-two percent (22%) from a combination of both. The last either using some other option of health services (3%) or do not use animal health services at all (6%).
  
  
• When asked about any foreseen benefits of the corporate influence on animal healthcare services, majority of respondents believe that there are more harms than benefits to be found (40%). While there are many benefits cited as relating to corporate influence such as financial resources, access to specialized equipment and technology, better standards of care, employee training and benefits, and a support system of human resources, there was still a looming tone of distrust towards the corporate influence of animal services; ethical management, focus on the bottom line over quality of care, and the loss of independent decision making for individual clinics.
  
  
• When asked about experiences working for a local clinic backed by a large corporation; many individuals (28%-43%) had experienced some type of positive experience due to the corporate impact; input from other successful professionals on models of service, team training and development, advancement opportunities, or an increased benefit package. A smaller percentage of individuals (10%-24%) experienced negative impacts; pressure to recommend services that one did not agree with or thought unnecessary, requirement to follow protocol rather than provide treatment based on individual client, or stressful expectations to meet corporate financial targets. 
  
  
• Forty-five percent (45%) of informants believe that there is serious concern over the corporatization of veterinary clinics putting the owner/managed independent clinics out of business. However, a substantial percentage (23%) believe that the quality of animal healthcare services provided and the loyalty of clients will ensure the success of a business regardless of ownership and that there will always be room for both types of practices.

Demographics of YourSAY™ 2017.1:

• Gender: 51% Female, 37% Male
• Age: 14% 21-35 years old, 20% 36-50 years old, 66% over 50 years old
• Region: 14% Pacific, 31% Prairie, 37% Central, 17% Atlantic
• Pets: 56% Cat owner, 82% Dog owner
• Industry: 11% Animal Welfare, 11% Animal Services, 29% Animal Health & Wellness, 11% Animal Control & Enforcement, 34% Other
• Executive Level: 26% C-Level Executive, 37% Senior Management, 17% Middle Management, 3% Individual Contributor, 14% Other
  
  
  
  

BREAKING - VCA to be Acquired by Mars Inc.

Mars Inc announced this morning it will acquire VCA Inc.

The acquisition will be an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $9.1 billion and will provide VCA shareholders with US$93 per share for VCA common stock. 

According to the news release from Mars Inc., VCA will operate as a separate business unit within Mars Petcare. The deal is expected to close in Q3 2017.

According to an internal document circulated to employees of Associate Vet Clinics (AVC) in Canada, no changes to the operations, management or employee relationships are contemplated at this time. AVC, the largest owner of veterinary clinics in Canada was purchased by VCA Inc, in 2012. 

Other information services are also reporting this transaction:

Business Insider 

Market Watch

Bloomberg News

RESEARCH - Is There no Hope for Healthy Bulldogs?

(akc.org)

English bulldogs: the beloved, cartoonish, man-made breed that warms hearts and turns heads.

Ranking #4 for U.S. dog breed popularity and #1 for health problems, the breed has long been cautioned as a potentially costly one.

A recent University of California study concludes the breed is “now lacking the diversity in its gene pool to make much-needed health improvements.”

The researchers go on to say that the bulldogs' genes have become too similar for breeders to reduce the higher risk of sickness by only breeding the healthiest English bulldogs.

The study's bottom line: Despite breeders best efforts, there's just not enough genetic diversity in the breed.

"The English bulldog has reached the point where popularity can no longer excuse the health problems that the average bulldog endures in its often brief lifetime," study lead author Niels Pedersen, of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Companion Animal Health, said in a journal news release.

What many fail to realize, according to veterinarian Dr. Fraser Hale of Hale Veterinary Clinic in Guelph, ON -  an outspoken critic of bulldog breeding who is on a mission to motivate his industry to better educate the public – is that perpetuating the bulldog industry is nothing short of animal cruelty and a preservation of archaic tradition.

“The pet-owning public needs to recognize it is too inhumane to ask an animal to live its life in such a dysfunctional and deformed body,” said Hale, who asserts that the lack of public education on the cruel and sad lives of bulldogs may be so far behind that perhaps legislation (much like dog fighting) and heavy public education campaigns may be the only way to drastically make a difference.

“People who don’t understand what that ‘bulldog look’ imposes to the animal may see them as ‘cute’, but if they knew the reality, they would likely just see them as sad.”

Referring to bulldogs as ‘bad by design’ and a ‘failed human experiment’, Hale sees the only solution is to care for the remaining bulldogs and to stop breeding, letting the breed die out.

Hale said he thinks the veterinary industry has ‘a lot to answer to’ with respect to better educating people on the sad life led by bulldogs.

He cites a host of health problems including (but not limited to): brachycephalic upper airway issues; horrible dental/oral anatomy/health; orthopedic issues; and skin-fold dermatitis.

The breed is completely man-made and cannot whelp without human interference by way of a caesarean delivery.

“How fair is it to breed an animal that can’t even deliver naturally?” points out Dr. Danny Joffe of Associate Vet Clinics in Calgary.

Joffe, who emphasized that these multitude of health problems exists in both English and French bulldogs (who also suffer from inflammatory brain disease), said that he cautions any of his veterinary clients who choose to purchase a bulldog to at the very least get pet insurance (although some companies won’t insure bulldogs) and to watch their pet’s weight with vigilance, as any added weight puts a strain on their respiratory system and can accelerate their arthritis.

Joffe said other breeds to be mindful of various health problems include the Irish wolfhound (bone cancer and heart trouble) and Bernese mountain dogs (cancer), but that ‘no other breeds have the problems suffered by bulldogs’.

For Hale, the movement toward public education of the pain and suffering that bulldogs are inevitably left with is out of step with modern-day advocacy campaigns against declawing and tail docking.

He is hoping the veterinary industry will help influence bulldog breeding as a socially unacceptable trend of the past and that celebrity endorsements of bulldogs will cease.

By Lindsay Seewalt

Lindsay is an experienced journalist and mother of three whose heart and home is always open to a four-legged friend. With her Corgi, Angie, as household editor-in-chief, Lindsay gives back to the animal planet through the written word on anything and all ado about pets. She is passionate about topics regarding animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, which she aims to instill in both her readers and children to be compassionate animal lovers who are conscious and considerate that furry friends around the globe deserve a voice.

Free Rabies Vaccines for Hamilton Families in Need

Associate Veterinary Clinics (AVC) and St. Matthew’s House are offering a free rabies vaccination clinic for pets of St. Matthew’s House clients and of families in need in the Hamilton area on Wednesday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Matthew’s House - 414 Barton Street E., Hamilton.

The clinic has been prompted by the outbreak of rabies in Ontario with the latest numbers from the Ontario government listing 108 cases of raccoon strain and 2 cases of fox strain rabies since December 2015.

Most all of the raccoon strain rabies have been found in the Hamilton area.

“The rabies outbreak in the Hamilton area continues to be a concern, and we want to do everything we can to help reduce the risk to pets and people while keeping the whole family safe.” says Jen Danyliw, Senior Regional Operations Director, Ontario, for Associate Veterinary Clinics. “This free rabies vaccination clinic is being supported by our veterinary hospitals in the area in collaboration with St. Matthews’s House. We will also have support on site from other human and veterinary health agencies and our industry partners.”

“Vaccinating your pet against rabies is an important part of rabies prevention for both pets and the people they live and interact with. It is especially important for all dogs and cats living in the Hamilton area, even those that are strictly indoor pets, to be vaccinated to prevent the spread of rabies considering the recent outbreak of rabies virus in the area”, adds Kristina Cooper, RVT, Provincial Manager, OAVT Public Health Rabies Response Program.

Public health legislation requires that all pet owners in the province vaccinate their animals against rabies.

This free program will make vaccines more accessible to people in need - in this instance the clients of St. Matthew’s House and their families.

Alberta Wildfire - Associate Vet Clinics Offer Free Boarding

Select Associate Veterinary Clinic (AVC) hospitals in Edmonton and Calgary are offering free boarding for pets of families impacted by the Fort McMurray wildfire.

Boarding assistance at participating hospitals is based on availability. Pets should be current on vaccinations, but if they are not, AVC veterinarians will update vaccinations free of charge.

AVC Hospitals will also offer a free health assessment exam for pets that have been displaced as a result of the fire.

“Our hearts go out to all of those who have been impacted by the Ft. McMurray fire disaster,” Robert Pakai, Sr. Regional Operations Director, Alberta for Associate Veterinary Clinics, said in a release.

“As I travelled today throughout Calgary to the clinics picking up donations from our clients and clinic team members, it was evidently clear the passion our teams have for helping people make pets’ lives better.”

Calgary donations

AVC clinics in Calgary have collected enough food and supplies to fill five pickup trucks.

Pet owners are encouraged to contact the Canadian Red Cross or any of the following AVC hospitals for boarding assistance and more information.

Edmonton

Guardian Veterinary Centre

5620-99 Street

780-436-5880

Capital City Animal Hospital

11104-102 Avenue

780-433-9505

Calgary

Calgary North Veterinary Hospital & Emergency Service

204-4th Street NW

403-277-0135

     

Calgary Animal Referral & Emergency Centre (CARE)

7140 12 Street SE

403-520-8387

Western Veterinary Specialist & Emergency Centre

1802 10 Avenue SW

403-770-1340

All other AVC hospitals in Alberta will be offering free wellness exams and collecting food donations for pets impacted by the Fort McMurray wildfire.

Associate Veterinary Clinic Program rolls out in Calgary

Fourteen Associate Veterinary Hospitals and Clinics are busy providing Calgary pet owners with a HomeSafe™ Return to Owner service the pet owner owns and controls. The agreement between AVC and PetLynx to champion the National Identification Initiative (NIDI) in Canada was signed earlier this year.

“The response from staff and clients has been very positive”, said Drew Van Niekerk, Director, PetLynx Corporation. “Giving pet owners control over their animal identification and record for life helps them avoid the high cost of other ID registration systems, ensures they avoid ‘blast and cast’ marketing, gives them a simple way to manage their own online presence and provides peace of mind their contact information is available in Canada’s largest and only Automated Return to Owner (RTO) system”, he said.

Over a million Canadian pet owners already maintain their pet information in the HomeSafe™ system. As pet owners move through AVC Hospitals and Clinics they have their microchip or tattoo inspected to confirm the correct information and are provided with a personal HomeSafe™ Lifetime Registration Kit at no charge. In addition to contributing the $29 lifetime registration fee AVC provides a lime-green visual collar tag that anyone can use to reunite animals with their owners.

 

“As Canada’s largest provider of companion animal health services, we felt compelled to assist our clients with an online recovery service they could manage and control”, said Stefan Horsky, President of Associated Veterinary Clinics (AVC). “Contributing to lifetime protection and peace of mind for our clients makes perfect sense. AVC Hospitals and Clinics are HomeSafe Guardians™ leading the NIDI program in Canada. You can be sure our organization will be inclusive in each community, encouraging our colleagues and other service providers to work with us to enrich the lives of those we all serve”, he said.

The HomeSafe™ RTO service is being rolled out across Canada under the industry wide NIDI initiative. This initiative intends to register and identify every dog and cat in Canada before the end of 2020.  PetLynx understands that ‘Life is complicated, but keeping a pet healthy and safe shouldn’t be’.

About the HomeSafe™ National Identification Initiative (NIDI):

This $30 million investment by PetLynx and partners intends to provide an online record for every cat and dog in Canada by the end of 2020. HomeSafe™ is North America’s only Lifetime Online Registry and Automated Return to Owner (RTO) service for pets. Pet owners use any wired or wireless device to maintain current information without further charge during a lifetime of human/animal experiences. The Alliance for Urban Animals also includes associates like CDMV who provide the HomeSafe ™ NIDI program with warehousing and logistical services across Canada.

INTERVIEW: Jennie Danyliw - Innovation Showcase Scholarship Applicant

Jennie Danyliw is the Regional Operations Director for Associate Veterinary Clinics (AVC) in Ontario. Her primary role is coaching in development of veterinary practices. Today Jennie will talk about AVC’s Paw It Forward program. 

InfoStream (IS): Why and when was Paw It Forward created?

Jennie Danyliw (JD): Paw It Forward was started about 2 years ago and it was created as all great ideas are, around a dinner table with different voices contributing to how we can give back to the community at a greater level. First born was Pet Pantry and then came the bigger umbrella of Paw It Forward. So basically, how can we take every action that we do and start to “Paw It Forward” and give back within the communities?

IS: What is your role in Paw It Forward?

JD: My role is sort of an off-shoot actually, and it’s better if I speak of it in regards to the clinics more. My role is to support and keep the momentum going but it’s really our veterinary hospitals that keep Paw It Forward alive. Our clinic team members fundraise for Paw It Forward so it is a self-funding program that we are able to run and it is a program that is run right across Canada. Our clinic team members link Paw It Forward with our Pet Pantry events where we are working alongside food banks in providing nutrition and very basic services such as nail trims to those in need within our community. For every bag of veterinary diet that we sell through our hospitals we donate $5 to Pet Pantry and it helps our team members feel really good about what they’re doing.

IS: What are the goals of Paw It Forward?

JD: Our original goal was to identify what the need was within the community for those that have fallen on hard times and are using local food banks and community services. So, our goal was to provide food, or fill tummies, of those that are in a less fortunate position.

IS: What issues or concerns has Paw It Forward been able to support? You mentioned Pet Pantry, has there been anything else included in Paw It Forward so far?

JD: Any of our fund raising events have the overall umbrella of Paw It Forward. There are a number of charities that are clinics work with all based in different areas of Ontario and right across the country. So, really, our initial issue was how can “we” break down some of the stigma around those who are in a less fortunate position and provide proper food to their pets.

IS: Can you tell us about a special experience that you’ve had through your work with Paw It Forward?

JD: Yeah, wow, there are so many that I could pick from and really it’s quite a shared experience across our entire group. I would have to say that when we run a Pet Pantry Paw It Forward event it’s one of the most humbling days that I’ve ever worked. My background is only veterinary medicine for the last 25 years that the ability to be able to give back, meet an abundance of new people that have fantastic stories to share and one thing that we’ve really learned is that pet means so much to that person who has fallen on hard times. That pet is their only connection left and we’re able to help and support that and listen to the stories. For me personally, I find it amazing that no matter where we go home at night or where we come from, you put a pet in front of us or a pet topic and we become exactly the same person. So we break down all of those barriers and there is not any judgment.

IS: Paw It Forward is funded through fundraising events held at the individual clinics and those funds come from food sales, nail trims, and other activities along those lines, is that correct?

JD: Yes, nail trims and other donations based events that we do. We have clinic staff going to Pawpolooza this weekend and they will be collecting donations for Paw It Forward. Our goal was really to set this up so that it was self-funding through our clinics. There are also our veterinary partners and those are companies that partner with us as well as a few pharmaceutical as well whereas they offer support as well and are with us at the food banks.

IS: Does Paw It Forward support all of the areas around AVC clinics?

JD: Correct, we run Paw It Forward right across Canada and we actually just finished another event in British Columbia last weekend. We have a goal to provide 250,000 meals by the end of this year and as of right now we’re half way to our goal.

IS: Is there anything else that you would like us to know?

JD: Maybe one last thing, is what I talked about at the Urban Animal presentation is that to challenge everybody that we can make a difference for those that have fallen on hard times.

Collaboration Adds HomeSafe™ Services to AVC Clients

Associate Veterinary Clinics (AVC) have announced the launch of their collaboration with PetLynx Corporation to add the HomeSafeTM online pet records and automatic Return to Owner (RTO) services to their clients across Canada. This collaboration is an element of the AVC Paw It Forward program which enriches the lives of people and pets in each community where they are present.

Review AVC HomeSafeTM Brochure

This AVC / PetLynx collaboration expects to add 300,000 new registrations to the HomeSafeTM program and represents an investment of more than $8 million CDN under the National Identification Initiative for people and pets in Canada.

Associate Veterinary Clinics and PetLynx Corporation Collaborate to Enrich the Lives of People and Pets across Canada

PRESS RELEASE 

June 15, 2015

CALGARY, AB - Associate Veterinary Clinics (AVC) and PetLynx Corporation (PLC) are excited to announce a Canada-wide collaboration to improve the pet experience. AVC has responded to the “Moonshot Challenge” put forth at the 9th Annual Summit for Urban Animal Strategies to identify every pet in Canada. AVC is pleased to offer HomeSafe registrations to clients of their Canadian Hospitals over the next three years, adding an estimated 300,000 pets to the National Identification Initiative (NIDI), and strengthening the HomeSafe automated lost pet recovery network.

“I am excited to have Associate Veterinary Clinics involved with the HomeSafe program”, exclaimed Dr. Drew Van Niekerk, Director, PetLynx Corporation. “The Canadian family of hospitals already does so much for supporting shelters and recovering lost pets in cities across Canada, and this is another innovative boost to community wellness.”

PetLynx is dedicated to enriching the lives of people and pets, hosting the Urban Animal conference series for ten years.  Associate Veterinary Clinics has been an active supporter of the Alliance for Urban Animals from the start.  The hospital group has been serving pets and  communities since 1971, committing to high quality medicine and giving back to the animal industry in countless ways.

“This is an important initiative that we are very excited to join” said AVC Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Darren Johnson. “Our hospitals are committed to improving the pet experience in their local communities, and this is a powerful step forward to assuring the bond between the owner and pet remains intact”.  

Associate Veterinary Clinics has been nominated for an Innovation Showcase Award for their program “Paw it Forward”. This grass-roots campaign was designed to help families whose resources are limited, provide some of the basics for their pet.  “We are confident the net result of these programs is to strengthen the relationships between pets, families and communities” adds Johnson, “while reducing the numbers of homeless pets in shelters and neighborhoods across Canada”.

For more information please contact:

Associate Veterinary Clinics	PetLynx Corporation
Darren Johnson, VP, Strategic Partnerships	Shannon Woodward, Program Manager
403.541.0815	403.208.1972

Poll 3 WINNERS!

Poll 3 winners are.... 

Breeder 

Bundas Bengal Cattery with 60% of the votes

Communication 

Associate Veterinary Clinics – Dr. Jayne Takahashi with 33% of the votes

Homing 

Toronto Animal Services – James McLean with 42% of the votes

Lifetime Achievement 

Paul Melanson with 52% of the votes

CONGRATULATIONS to all Summit Award nominees and winners!